Name: My guide to the best butter sauce for pasta
Prep time: 10 min
Ingredients: 200 g unsalted butter (cubed); 10 - 12 sage leaves (I like to use 3 - 4 per plate); Salt to taste; 150 g unsalted butter (cubed); Juice of half a lemon (1 - 2 tbsp depending on your preference); Salt to taste

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This is the ONLY resource you need for making a butter sauce for pasta. I will talk you through a few different options for butter sauces and you can choose which one suits you best. Surely you will come to make them all! From a lemon butter to a classic brown butter with crispy sage, this post is packed full of incredible info. You'll be wowing family and friends in no time.

Cooked Orecchiette on a white plate in a butter sauce. A ball of burrata to the left and a fork on the right. — Orecchiette in a lemon butter sauce

Honestly, I could talk about butter all day long! A butter sauce is my top choice as it is quite simply the easiest and quickest way to finish a pasta dish. If you are making pasta from scratch, it's a bit of a process. You have to make a dough, (hopefully my easy homemade pasta dough) roll out the sheets, make fillings - it can be exhausting. So this is the reason I turn to a butter sauce so often and for another reason, it lets my pasta shine and doesn't cover it up. Oh....and also because it is completely delicious! If you need a pasta shape my hand rolled gnocchi sardi, hand rolled pici pasta or homemade orecchiette are great choices!

Two types of butter pasta sauces

Browned butter - This is pure butter on it's own, melted down until the milk solids separate and start to brown. You might have done this when baking as recipes often call for a browned butter as it adds such an amazing nutty flavour. This is the simplest sauce you can make and I often add sage to it which adds a beautiful herby note to the butter. I have a dedicated recipe so check out my 10 minute brown butter for pasta recipe!
Emulsified butter sauce - this is the second and probably most common butter sauce I make. Don't be scared by the word emulsified. It just mean when different liquids come together to make a smooth sauce. This is when I add in pasta water and often lemon juice to turn the butter into more of a sauce.

Ravioli with brown butter, golden hazelnut pieces, goats cheese and a brown butter. Crispy sage on top.

What is brown butter?

It's simple! Brown butter is the result of melting butter until the milk solids in the butter separate and brown. It also evaporates some of the water so you'll often end up with less than you started with. It's a really simple process and creates a rich, nutty taste that is PERFECT for pasta! Most commonly you might have browned butter when baking (The Cloudy Kitchen Brown Butter Choc Chip Cookies are a staple in my house). There are very clear stages when browning butter which you will get to know really well.

Firstly the butter will melt and then start to sizzle. It will get quite loud and crackly with bigger bubbles. Then it will quieten down considerably and that is when the top starts to foam. This is the stage you need to keep a really good eye on it. It's often quite hard to see what is going on under all that foam so swirl the pan or use a spatula to check those brown bits aren't getting too dark!

Cooked agnolotti pasta on a white plate in a brown butter. Crispy sage and walnuts around it and a fork piercing into one of the agnolotti. — Adding walnuts into a sage butter is a toasty delight!

How to make brown butter for pasta

Melt the butter over medium heat in a large fry pan.
As soon as it starts to sizzle add your sage leaves in if using.
It will take 3 - 4 minutes to start to foam up, you really need to watch it and you need to take it off the heat as soon as the milk solids are brown. If they are black you have likely taken it too far and it will taste burnt.
Swirl the pan every so often so it browns evenly and the milk solids don't stick to the bottom of the pan.
You can add your pasta straight in or spoon the sauce over the pasta on plates.

Melted butter and sage leaves in a frying pan

Tips for the best brown butter pasta sauce

Don't have your heat too high. A nice medium heat, turn it down if you think it's browning too quickly.
Use a light coloured pan. I always brown butter in a stainless steel pan purely so I can see what is going on. With a dark or black pan you'll really be guessing.
Start with your butter in cubes so it browns evenly. Swirling the pan and running a spatula along the bottom also helps with this.
If you are going to add your pasta straight into the pan, take the sage leaves out first as you don't want them getting soggy with any stray pasta water that may get splashed in.
Don't over do it! The milk solids can go from brown to black VERY quickly. If they blacken you'll have to start again.

What is an emulsified butter sauce?

An emulsified sauce sounds really chefy but it just means a smooth sauce made from different liquids. So for this we are mixing butter, pasta water and often lemon juice. If brown butter is too rich for you then this is a nice way to go. It is definitely more of a sauce as the pasta water thickens it slightly. Lemon juice is one of my absolute favourite ingredients in any pasta dish. You'll see me finish my famous white pork ragu with it as well as my creamy tomato sauce. It just freshens things up so nicely and cuts through the richness that pasta dishes so often have.

How to make an emulsified butter sauce for pasta

This is the second and probably most common butter sauce I make. This is when I add in pasta water and often lemon juice to turn the butter into more of a sauce. Try it with absolutely any pasta shape, fresh or dried. A simple hand rolled pici or gnocchi sardi are fun ones to try.

You'll have your pasta already cooking as the sauce is so quick. If you drain your pasta then make sure you reserve a good cup of the cooking liquid.
Melt the butter over medium heat and when it starts to sizzle add the pasta water in.
You then need to whisk it quite vigorously while shaking the pan at the same time so the two liquids mix together.
Add the lemon juice if using and whisk again. I have a reel on my instagram where you can see this process.

Cooked pasta sheets on a white plate with a butter sauce, capers, dill and panko crumbs. — Jazz a lemon butter pasta sauce up by adding anything you like! Here I added capers and fresh dill.

Tips for the perfect lemon butter sauce

Use unsalted butter - I like to control the seasoning myself and a lot of salted butters are overly salty in my opinion. Get into the habit of buying unsalted as it is so easy to add the salt yourself.
Using a flat or roux whisk - My mum bought me a flat whisk as a gift and it is probably one of my favourite kitchen tools. It allows more contact on your pan and I just find it easier to whisk sauces with.
Adding parmesan - to make an emulsified butter even more decadent you can add parmesan, but not directly to the butter, if you do this it will turn into a stringy mess. Once you have added your pasta in and have given it a toss add your finely grated parmesan directly to the top of the pasta. Let it melt on top of the pasta without disturbing it then give it a good toss. I go into more detail of this process in recipes like my cacio e pepe.

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Why pasta water is your best friend!

You'll hear me harp on about the magic that is pasta water in 99% of my recipes. It really is a key ingredient in every sauce I make. The starch left behind in the water acts as a thickening agent and helps sauces cling to the pasta. I couldn't make a sauce without it.

I never EVER drain my pasta in a colander, I always transfer it directly to the sauce using a spider strainer. That way the pasta pot full of water is left there for you to ladle in as you need. if you have seen my reels on instagram you'll notice my sauces are SAUCY.

Pasta soaks up liquid so quickly so I add enough pasta water to make it quite liquidy. By the time I serve into bowls and take to the table it hasn't dried up. You'll get to know what the right consistency is with some practice, you can't go wrong though I promise!

A white wine butter sauce for pasta

If I had to go into a third butter sauce for pasta it would be a white wine butter sauce. It's so delicious and the wine brings a beautiful acidity, it's a match made in heaven. I have a couple of recipes with this type of sauce. Firstly check out my base Easy White Wine and Butter pasta sauce. It also has the addition of parmesan in the sauce, I have a fool proof method for this!

If you are after a bit more of a challenge you could make my ravioli in a white wine butter sauce.

Cooked ravioli on a white plate in a white wine butter wth sourdough croutons, fresh thyme and garlic. — Ravioli in a white wine butter pasta sauce

Used this guide and loved it?

I would love love LOVE if you could leave me a review down below and let me know what you thought! I love to hear any changes or adaptions you made too. Also if you put a photo on instagram, please tag me so I can see, it makes my day!

Handkerchief pasta in a butter sauce. A knife and fork cutting in to the pasta and chopped chives on top.

Want some other sauces to try?

Check out my full recipe section for all sorts of different sauce options. For some buttery delights try my Delicious Garlic Butter Pasta. For a more in-depth look at a brown butter check out my 10 Minute Brown Butter for Pasta or my Crispy Gnocchi in Brown Butter.

Rigatoni in a glossy garlic butter sauce with a fork piercing into a piece of the pasta. Fresh rosemary on top. — Garlic Butter Pasta

Recipe

My guide to the best butter sauce for pasta

5 from 8 votes

Author: Emilie Pullar

Prep time:10

Servings: 4 people

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Two delicious variations of butter sauces to make your pasta dishes shine. A nutty browned butter with crisp sage and a dreamy emulsified lemon butter sauce.

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Ingredients

For the browned butter

200 g unsalted butter cubed
10 - 12 sage leaves I like to use 3 - 4 per plate
Salt to taste

For the emulsified butter sauce

150 g unsalted butter cubed
Juice of half a lemon 1 - 2 tbsp depending on your preference
Salt to taste

Instructions

For the browned butter

Timings are quite crucial here and it might seen stressful the first time you make it but you will get used to it quickly. Butter sauces come together quite quickly, so you will be making them and boiling your pasta simultaneously. If you know the browned butter takes around 4 minutes then take that into consideration when you start the pasta.
Melt the butter in a large frying pan over medium heat.
Add in the sage leaves as the butter is melting and bring to a sizzle.
Add a big pinch of salt then continue to cook, swirling the pan from time to time until it begins to foam and the milk solids separate and brown.
Add your pasta straight in, trying not to get any pasta water in.
Serve and enjoy!

For the emulsified butter sauce

As I mention above, you will get used to the timings.
Melt the butter in a large frying pan over medium heat until it begins to sizzle.
Lower the heat and add the lemon juice, whisking vigorously while shaking the pan at the same time.
Add ¼ cup pasta water and repeat, making sure you whisk fast to bring the liquids together.
Add your pasta straight in and let it gently bubble away for a minute before serving.
Add more pasta water if you need.

Video

Notes

The amount of butter in the recipes is a guide, start with that (or halve for two people) and then see if you need more or less next time. After a couple of times you will be making butter sauces with your eyes closed.
For the emulsified sauce there is huge opportunity to add any other flavours you like. A scattering of fresh herbs, capers - anything you like!
I love topping the lemon butter sauce with toasty breadcrumbs you can find a delicious panko topping idea here

Author: Emilie Pullar

Prep Time: 10

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